Is That A David Yurman Necklace?

Part three of a blog series

Shortly after all of the testing was completed, it was time for the first surgery. This surgery was to have the port placed in which I was to receive chemotherapy.

As I was being wheeled into surgery, I looked up at my doctor and asked her if she thought I was going to be okay, to which she replied, "knock on wood." With this, she glanced at my sister and asked, "Is that a David Yurman necklace?" She was jewelry shopping and I was looking for an 84 Lumber!

At this time, friends and family were getting more concerned, or, they were just happy it was me and not them. Well, one in eight get it, so I was willing to guess that seven of my friends were very relieved.

They had so many questions that I could not answer because I did not know the answers, mainly because, I did not know which questions to ask.

My thoughts at this point were, how was I going to get through this, how lucky I am that the 411 operator found me a rockstar team thus far, and when exactly will I look like Howie Mandel's sister? I never once thought, why me, poor me, however, I did think, let's get this show on the road and get this cancer out of me.

Let the chemo begin:

I walked in on my first day and said, "Hi, I'm Beth", I'll take a chair for one please. The nurse broke out laughing. This is where I learned to find the funny in the not so funny! It is so important to do this in a bad situation as it's healing.

I asked her if a reservation was needed as the room was full. I was told to have a seat and someone would be with me shortly. Wait!, I wanted to say, you didn't take my drink order.

On my first day of treatment, I came totally unprepared. Everyone else had a chemo bag filled with knitting, books, laptops and lunch. I had myself.

I quickly found out that I picked the very best chair mate in any chemo room, ever. Mary gave me a quick run down on what would take place as the nurses, who are like cruise directors, got everyone situated for the day. On a side note, Mary and I recently celebrated ten years of friendship.

Not being a brochure-reading type of gal, meant not having a clue as to what was going to happen, I watched with mild horror as the chemo nurse started on another patient.

There is a nurses station in the room which resembles an information desk at at a mall and is busy all day. People asking questions, getting blood taken, doctors coming in with instructions, a busy stop to say the least.

You are weighed so they can accurately mix your cocktail. In this case, it's okay, to drink and drive. I was so thin, I hopped up on the scale as if I were a super model not caring who saw those three numbers.

The nurses take turns being the mixologists. The only thing missing was a tip jar, well, maybe some good music since I did not have a chemo bag. To watch them mix and measure to ensure the patient is receiving the correct dose is fascinating.

tbc

Remember to always #findthefunnyinthenotsofunny

Beth

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